Piper stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection. Her heart was pounding, and a nervous energy coursed through her. It wasn’t just the meeting she had planned with Jasper — it was everything. Gabriel’s past, Noah’s lies, and the weight of keeping Lily safe had all become an unbearable burden. But tonight, she had to face at least one of those things head-on. She had to talk to Jasper, really talk, and figure out what "us" meant in the midst of the chaos that surrounded them.
Her phone buzzed on the dresser, and Piper glanced down. It was another message from Gabriel.
Gabriel: I’m still here, Piper. I don’t want to lose you. Please don’t shut me out.
Piper bit her lip, torn between the conflicting emotions swirling inside her. Gabriel had been there for her, but his confession had thrown their entire relationship into doubt. She hadn’t even processed everything the private investigator had uncovered about Gabriel’s past. His ties to the criminal world might be over, but the consequences of his actions were still very much alive — and dangerous.
But tonight wasn’t about Gabriel. Tonight, she had to deal with Jasper. She couldn’t ignore the emotions she had been running from for months. Piper smoothed down her shirt, took a deep breath, and left the house, her mind racing with a mix of dread and anticipation.
Jasper was already sitting at a small table near the window when Piper arrived at the café. His face lit up when he saw her, but there was a tension there too — an uncertainty that matched her own. Piper paused for a moment, watching him from the doorway. The familiarity of him, the easy way they had once been together, was both comforting and painful. But things had changed. They weren’t the same people they had been before everything fell apart.
As she approached the table, Jasper stood, offering a small, hesitant smile. “Hey,” he said, his voice soft. “Thanks for coming.”
Piper nodded, her throat tight with emotion. “Yeah. We needed to talk.”
Jasper gestured for her to sit, and she slid into the chair across from him, her heart pounding in her chest. There was an awkward silence as they both took a moment to gather their thoughts. Piper could feel the weight of all the unspoken words between them, pressing down on her like a heavy blanket.
“So,” Jasper began, his voice slightly strained. “I’ve been thinking a lot about us. About everything that’s happened.”
Piper looked up at him, her stomach twisting with nervousness. “Me too.”
Jasper ran a hand through his hair, a gesture Piper had seen a thousand times before. But this time, it felt different — more desperate, more vulnerable.
“I know things have been... complicated,” Jasper said, his voice thick with emotion. “But I can’t stop thinking about you, Piper. About what we had. I don’t know how we got here, but I don’t want to lose you. Not to Gabriel, not to anyone.”
The mention of Gabriel made Piper’s heart clench. She had known this conversation was coming, but hearing Jasper’s feelings laid out so plainly brought everything to the surface. She had tried to bury her emotions, tried to convince herself that her connection with Gabriel was more important, but the truth was undeniable: she still had feelings for Jasper. Feelings she had never fully let go of.
Piper swallowed hard, trying to find the right words. “Jasper, I... I don’t know what to say. Everything has been so messed up. I’ve been trying to figure things out with Gabriel, and then there’s everything with Noah. It’s like my whole life is falling apart, and I don’t even know where to begin.”
Jasper leaned forward, his eyes filled with sincerity. “You don’t have to figure it all out at once, Piper. But I need to know if there’s still a chance for us. I need to know if you still feel the same way I do.”
Piper’s breath hitched, her chest tightening with the weight of his words. She had spent so long running from her feelings for Jasper, trying to convince herself that she had moved on. But now, sitting across from him, hearing the raw emotion in his voice, she couldn’t deny it any longer.
“I do,” Piper whispered, her voice trembling. “I still have feelings for you, Jasper. But it’s not that simple.”
Jasper’s eyes lit up with hope, but he didn’t interrupt. He could see the conflict in her, the way her emotions were warring inside her.
“I can’t ignore what’s happened,” Piper continued, her voice growing stronger. “Gabriel has been there for me when things were falling apart, and he’s helped me in ways I can’t even explain. But then... he lied. He kept things from me, and I don’t know if I can trust him anymore.”
Jasper’s jaw tightened, and Piper could see the flash of jealousy in his eyes. “Piper, I know Gabriel’s been there for you, but you have to ask yourself—do you really trust him? Can you rely on him the way you can rely on me?”
Piper felt a pang of guilt. Gabriel had been her rock through so much, but the trust between them had been shattered by his confession. And now, with Noah’s lies unraveling and the criminal organization still a looming threat, Piper didn’t know who to trust anymore.
“I don’t know,” Piper admitted, her voice shaky. “That’s the problem. I don’t know who to trust.”
Jasper reached across the table, his hand brushing hers. “You can trust me, Piper. I’ve made mistakes, but I’ve always been honest with you. I’ve never kept anything from you, and I never will.”
Piper looked down at their hands, her heart aching with the weight of his words. She wanted to believe him — wanted to believe that things between them could go back to the way they used to be. But the scars of the past were still fresh, and she wasn’t sure if they could ever fully heal.
Before she could respond, the sound of the café door opening drew her attention. Piper’s heart sank when she saw Isabel walk in, her eyes immediately locking onto her and Jasper. The smug smile on Isabel’s face made Piper’s blood boil. She knew what Isabel was doing — she was here to disrupt, to remind Piper that Jasper wasn’t hers to hold onto anymore.
Isabel made her way to their table, her presence an unwelcome intrusion. “Jasper,” she said smoothly, her voice laced with false warmth. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Piper’s jaw tightened, her hands curling into fists under the table. Isabel’s timing was too perfect to be a coincidence. She was playing her game, trying to manipulate the situation to her advantage.
Jasper stood up, his expression a mix of irritation and surprise. “Isabel, what are you doing here?”
Isabel’s smile widened, and she placed a hand on Jasper’s arm, a move that made Piper’s stomach churn. “I was just in the area and thought I’d grab a coffee. But it’s good to see you.”
Piper clenched her teeth, anger bubbling to the surface. She could see exactly what Isabel was doing — trying to drive a wedge between her and Jasper, using every opportunity to make it seem like Piper was the one who had moved on with Gabriel while Jasper was left behind.
“Piper and I were just talking,” Jasper said, his tone colder than usual. He gently pulled his arm away from Isabel’s touch, but the tension between the three of them was palpable.
Isabel’s gaze flicked to Piper, her smile never wavering. “Oh, I see. Well, I won’t interrupt. I’m sure you two have a lot to discuss.”
The words dripped with condescension, and Piper could feel her anger rising. Isabel was trying to get under her skin, and it was working.
Before Piper could respond, Isabel turned to leave, but not before giving Jasper a lingering glance. “I’ll catch up with you later, Jasper. We still have that legal matter to discuss.”
Piper’s hands shook with frustration as she watched Isabel walk out of the café. Her heart pounded in her chest, the jealousy she had been trying to suppress bubbling to the surface. Isabel was trying to claim Jasper, trying to convince him that Piper had moved on, but Piper wasn’t about to let her win.
Jasper sat back down, his expression grim. “I’m sorry about that,” he said quietly. “Isabel can be... difficult.”
Piper shook her head, her emotions swirling inside her. “It’s not your fault. But I can see what she’s doing. She’s trying to make it seem like I’ve moved on with Gabriel, like I don’t care about you anymore.”
Jasper’s eyes darkened with frustration. “Isabel doesn’t control how I feel, Piper. But you need to tell me — do you still want us to work? Or have you already moved on?”
Piper’s heart raced, the weight of his question pressing down on her. She hadn’t moved on. Not really. But with everything that had happened — with Gabriel, with Noah, with Isabel circling like a vulture — she didn’t know if they could ever go back to the way things were.
“I don’t know,” Piper whispered, her voice filled with emotion. “I still care about you, Jasper. I always will. But things are so complicated right now, and I don’t know how to fix this.”
Jasper’s gaze softened, and he reached for her hand again. “We can fix it, Piper. But we have to want it. Do you want this? Do you want us?”
Piper’s chest tightened as she looked into his eyes, the depth of their shared history tugging at her heart. She did want him — she always had. But could she really open herself up to that again? Could she risk everything for a love that had already been tested so many times?
Before she could answer, her phone buzzed again. This time, it was Noah.
Noah: I got information that could change everything. Wanna talk?